Automatically-folding bed-bottom fabric



' June 18, 1929. I s E 1,718,203

AUTOMATICALLY FOLDING BED BOTTOM FABRIC Filed Oct. 5, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 1 June 18, 1929. s HARTER 1,718,203

AUTOMATICALLY FOLDING BED BOTTOM FABRIC Filed Oct. 1927 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 12 i I .72 k a kl June 18,1929. N HARTER A 1,718,203

AUTOMATICALLY FOLDING BED BOTTDM FABRIC Filed Cot. 1927 a Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED stares errant PATENT OFFICE.

NOAH S. HARTER, 0F WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS ASSIGNOR TO CHAMPION FOLDING FUR- NI'IURE COMPANY, OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Application. filed October 5, 1927. Serial No. 224,151.

This invention relates to bed-bottom fabrics for folding cots, and particularly to means whereby the fabric will automatically fold when it is released from the cot frame. I have shown my invention in connection with a bed-bottom fabric composed of a plurality of wire strands, each bent alternately in opposite directions to form loops of similar length, and rows of links of the same length as the loops connect the closed ends of the loops in adjacent strands. This type 'of fabric may be folded by hand into a compact bundle by folding the links and strands'successively in opposite directions. In accordance with the present invention, springs are connected to the fabric in such a way that when tension on the fabric is relaxed by disa connecting one of its ends from the cot frame,

the springs tend to fold the strands and links oppositely, and if one end of the fabric is moved toward the other, the fabric will be automatically folded into a compact bundle. The springs may be variously arranged to accomplish the same end and may be applied to fabrics other than the one particularly referred to above. By way of illustration, I have also shown the invention in connection with a wire fabric in which the closed ends of the strands are hingedly connected by clips and the springs are arranged to fold the successive strands against one another when the tension on the fabric is relaxed.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 isa top plan view of a bed-bottom fabric c0mposed of alternate wire strands and links, and

having resilient folding means comprising helical springs extending longitudinally of the fabric;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a cot having the fabric of Fig. 1 stretched thereon;

Fig. 3 is a similar view, showing the fabric detached from one end of the cot and partly folded; i

Fig. l is a side View of the fabric completely folded Within the end bars; I

Fig. 5 is a detail view, on a larger scale, showing several of the strands and connecting links partly folded;

Fig.6 is a top plan view of a portion of the fabric, on a larger scale than in Fig. 1, showing the same folding spring as in said figure; 7 is a similar view, showing torsion springs for folding the fabric;

Fig. 8 is a similar view, showing amodified form of torsion spring;

Fig. 9 is'a top plan view of one of the connecting links having a torsion spring attached;

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan View of the same;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of a fabric in which the closed ends of the loops in adjacent strands are hingedly connected by short clips, and springs are connected to the strands to fold the same; and

Fig. 12 is a section on the line 12-12 of Fig. 11, showing the fabric partly folded.

Referring to Figs. 16, inclusive, of the drawing, A indicates a bed-bottom fabric which is the same as that illustrated in the application of Frank A. Adkins and Noah S. Harter, Serial Number 203,166, filed July 2, 1927 this fabric having my present improvements thereon for causing the fabric to fold automatically.

The fabric as shown comprises a plurality of wire strands a, 7), c, '03, etc, each bent to form loops of similar length opening alternately in opposite directions. Thus, the strand a has loops 1 opening in one direction,

are of substantially the same length as the loops. The ends of the fabric are connected to angle bars 1 and 2 which are adapted to fit over the ends of bars 3 and 4:, which constitute extensions of side rails 5, of a cot frame 9. The fabric is preferably provided with springs 6, connecting one of these end strands withone of the end bars, to permit stretching of the fabric when applying the same to a cot frame.

In order to cause automatic folding of the fabric, two helical springs h, are arranged longitudinally of the fabric, and each spring is attached to one link between each pair of adjacent strands, and to corresponding points on the links. Thus, as shown in Fig.

'6, the spring 72. is connected to the link f bemay conveniently be by means of wire loops 7, extending through holes-8 punched in the links. The ends of the folding spring are shown connected to the end strands of the fabric at 9. Referring particularly to Fig.

6, the folding spring it extends from the point 9 on the strand a diagonally beneath the adjacent loop 1 of said strand to the link f, and thence diagonally beneath the adjacent loop 2" of the strand 7) to the link f connecting the strands b and 0', thence diagonally in the opposite direction beneath the strand 0 to the link f between the strands c and (.Z. Thus, throughout the length of the fabric, the spring takes a zigzag course between the corresponding ends of links between adjacent strands and passes under the strands.

When one of the end bars, such as the end bar 2, is detached from the end bars of the cot frame and moved along the side rails toward the other end bar, the springs 72, will cause the strands and links to fold oppositely, as indicated in Fig. 5, and by moving the end bars 1 and 2 close together, the fabric will fold between them, as illustrated in Fig. 4. As the sections of the springs, between their connections to the links in adjacent rows, extend under some of the loops in the strands, these sections bear upwardly, with light pressure, against the loops, and when one end bar is moved toward the other and the spring contracts, the spring sections lift the loops bearing upon them and draw corresponding ends of the links together. While each spring is connected to only one link in a row, the turning of the wire strands causes all of the links to fold in the same way as the links to which the spring is connected.

In Fig. 7, the fabric A is the same as in the previously described figures, but instead of providing helicalsprings extending longitudinally of the fabric, to fold the latter, I have shown torsion springs 70, etc. As shown, each spring is of U-forin and connected to a link, as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. The central part 10 of a spring lies against the under side of a link f extending longitudinally thereof, and is secured to the link by its underturned ends 11, which are suitablyriveted to the link body. The arms 12 of thespring extend transversely of the fabric, and are twisted around the arms 13 of loops in two adjacent strands near the ends of a link'joining said strands. The unfolding and stretching of the fabric twists the arms 12 in the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrows in Fig. 7 and when the fabric is released and one of its end bars is moved toward the other, the arms 12 twist in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 7, and thus swing the strand on one side of a row of links toward the under side of said row, and the strand on the other side of the row toward the upper side of said row, so that as the end bars are brought together, the links and strands automatically fold against one another. There must be a spring 74 connected with one link of-each row, and preferably two series of springs are employed, one on each side of the fabric.

In Fig. 8, the spring arrangement is substantially the same as in Fig. 7, the central parts of the springs being secured to the links i, but instead of making the arms of the spring relatively long, to give the required torsional effect, the springs 73 have their arms 12 coiled, as shown. The tension applied to these coiled arms by the stretching of the fabric A causes the strands and links to fold in the same manneras set forth in connection with the descriptionof the previous figure.

In Figs. 11 and 12, the wire strands of the fabric A, are the same as in the previously described figures, but instead of being connected together by links equal in length to the loops, the closed ends of the loops in adjacent strands a, b, 0, etc. are hing'edly connected together by short clips m. Torsion springs 13, 13", preferably of helical form, are arranged at the pivotal points of the strands,

and have their ends connectedto loops'in ad acent strands. Thus, short helical springs 13 are arrangedsubstantially in line with the clips 777. between strands a and b,

and one end of each spring is connected by a clip 14 to the strand a, while the other end is connected by asimilar clip to the strand 6. When the fabric is stretched, the springs are placed under stress, and when the fabric is relaxed. these springs tend to fold the loops of the strands a and Z) side by side in parallel planes. Between the strands b and 0 are the springs 18, connected to said strands by clips. The unfolding and stretching of the fabric twist these springs in the opposite direction from that in which the springs 13 are twisted by the unfolding of the fabric, and, when the fabric is relaxed, the springs 13' tend to fold the strands b and 0 oppositely from the manner in which the springs 13 fold the strands a and b. The springs 13 between strands c and d fold these strands in the same way that the strands a and b are folded, and the springs 13 between strands d and e fold'the latter strands in' the same way that the strands b and 0 are folded. This will be clear from an inspection of Fig. 12, which shows the fabric partly folded. Thus, when the fabric is stretched, the loops of all the strands lie in a common plane, and when the tension on the fabric is relaxed, the springs between successive pairs of strands throughout the fabric fold the strands oppositely, so that the loops lie sideby side in parallel planes. The number of springs may .be varied, but usually two will be suflicient between each pair of strands.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A folding bed-bottom fabric comprising a plurality of wire strands, each bent to form a series of loops opening alternately in opeach strand with the closed ends of alternate loops in an adjacent strand, said loops lying in a common plane when the fabric is stretched, and springs adapted to fold the strands with their loops lying in parallel planes when the tension on the fabric is relaxed.

2. A folding bed-bottom fabric comprising a plurality of wire strands, each bent to form a series of similar loops opening alternately in opposite directions, and links hingedly connecting the closed ends of alternate loops in each strand with the closed ends of alternate loops in an adjacent strand, and springs adapted to fold the successive strands and links oppositely when the tension on the fabric is relaxed.

3. A folding bed-bottom fabric comprising a plurality of wire strands, each bent to form a series of similar loops opening alternately in opposite directions, and links hingedly connecting the closed ends of alternate loops in each strand with the closed ends of alternate loops in an adjacent strand, the loops and links being of substantially the same length, and springs connecting'each strand with an adjacent link and adapted to fold the successive strands and links oppositely when the tension on the fabric is relaxed.

4. A folding bed-bottom fabric comprising a plurality of wire strands, each bent to form a series of loops opening alternately in opposite directions, and rows of links hingedly connecting the closed ends of alternate loops in the adjacent strands, and springs connected to one link in each row and adapted to fold the successive strands and links oppositely when the tension on the fabric is relaxed.

5. A folding bed-bottom fabric comprising a plurality of wire strands, each bent to form a series of loops opening alternately in opposite directions, and rows of links hingedly connecting the closed ends of alternate loops 7 in the ad acent strands, and springs each secured to one link in a row and engaging an adjacent strand, said springs adapted to fold the links and strands oppositely when tenslon on the fabric is relaxed.

6. A folding bed-bottom fabric comprising a plurality of wire strands, each bent to form a series of loops opening alternately in opposite directions, and rows of links hingedly connecting the closed ends of alternate loops in the adjacent strands, and springs, each secured to one link in a row and to two adjacent strands, said springs adapted to fold the strands and links oppositely when tension on the fabric is relaxed.

7. A folding bed-bottom fabric comprising a plurality of wire strands, each bent to form a series of loops of similar length opening alternately in opposite directions, means hingedly connecting the closed ends of alternate loops in each strand with the closedends of alternate loops in an adjacent strand, said loops lying in a common plane when the fabric is stretched, and springs having their ends connected to adjacent strands and adapted to fold the strands with their loops lying in parallel planes When the tension on the fabric is relaxed.

8. A folding bed-bottom fabric comprising a pluralit of wire strands, each bent to form a series of loops of similar length opening alternately in opposite directions, means hingedly connecting the closed ends of alternate loops in each strand with the closed ends of alternate loops in an adjacent strand, said loops lying in a common plane when the fabric is stretched, and torsion springs adjacent the hinge connections and having their ends connected to adjacent strands, said springs adapted to fold the strands with their loops lying in parallel planes when the tension on the fabric is relaxed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

NOAH S. HARTER. 

